National Trust set to put woodland trail in Talbot Valley
A SIZEABLE donation from a charitable trust means that the National Trust of Guernsey will be able to create a woodland trail as part of its recently-acquired site at Talbot Valley.
The £30,000 from the Swallow Charitable Trust will cover the purchase cost and future associated costs in preserving the land at Rue a L’Eau.
In memory of the benefactor, the new site will be known as the Swallow Trail.
National Trust vice president Sara Lampitt said it was fitting that at this particular time the new site would be a worthy addition to the ‘Queen’s Green Canopy’ initiative, which was set up to mark Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee earlier this year to encourage a focus on planting trees and create a legacy that would benefit future generations.
‘As well as inviting the planting of new trees, the Queen’s Green Canopy established a dedicated network of 70 ancient woodlands across the United Kingdom,’ she said.
‘During this sad time, we have decided to release good news of a most generous donation of funds by the Swallow Trust, covering the cost and future investment into land recently bought by National Trust of Guernsey at Rue a L’Eau, Talbot Valley.’
The tiered woodland area, located behind Kings Mills and spanning 1.18 vergees, was an unplanned purchase for the trust recently and it has sought to recoup the funds through crowdfunding.
‘Launching a campaign to raise funds for land acquisition was very much a leap into the unknown for the trust,’ said lands manager Mike Brown.
‘This donation is astonishing and gratefully received.’
Swallow trustees’ chairman Stephen Ainsworth said the National Trust’s plans to preserve the woodland for the ongoing enjoyment of islanders ‘fits naturally with the objectives of the Swallow Trust to enhance Guernsey for the benefit of the whole community’.
The Swallow Trust was a private charitable trust established as part of the will of a deceased Guernsey benefactor, he said. Other projects to which it has contributed include the development at La Vallette, Grow Ltd’s new site and the peace garden at Les Cotils.
‘We are delighted to work with the National Trust of Guernsey to kick-start their new lands acquisition campaign and to make this vision of a woodland trail a reality,’ he said.
